KENNETT SQUARE — Officials at the Garage Community Youth Center said measures are in place to keep children away from the influences of drugs.

Andy Rumsford, whose daughter Kacie died of a drug overdose earlier this year, told borough council recently that Kacie bought heroin in front of The Garage Youth Center on Union Street. The statement shocked some officials, and youth center officials are looking at ways to improve on safety.

“We do worry about the safety of our students, and we keep a very high staff to student ratio and volunteer to student ratio,” said Kristen Proto, executive director of The Garage. “We always have our eyes on them.”

Garage officials recently installed outdoor cameras to monitor activity outside of the building. Patti Olenik, former executive director of The Garage, said that step has been a crime deterrent.

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“There’s not a day that goes by that we are not looking at everybody’s eyes to see if they smell like weed or watch the differences in behavior or see if their grades drop,” Olenik said.

Police Chief Ed Zunino said his department has received information that drugs have been dealt near The Garage.

“It’s a convenient location,” Zunino said. “This is not a location where you walk up and find people peddling dope. Drug transactions in places like The Garage and at Anson Nixon Park are prearranged, and that’s when the transfers are made.”

Zunino said officers are paying close attention to activity outside the Garage and asks anyone who witnesses suspicious activity to call police immediately.

“The Garage has notified us about their suspicions and we want to protect the youth who visit there,” Zunino said.

Olenik said The Garage has a zero-tolerance policy when it comes to drugs.

“We have no problem with drugs in the building,” she said. “When we suspect drug use, or drug sales, we get the police involved immediately. We go through measures to protect our students and to keep the area a drug-free zone.”

The Garage has agreed to have Rumsford talk to the youths about the dangers of drugs.

“We want to be proactive in keeping our students and the community safe,” Olenik said.